Foundation Degree in Equine Training and Rehabilitation

This programme develops knowledge and understanding related to the theories of equine learning and how this can be used to develop training methodologies. In addition, emphasis is placed on links between biomechanics, exercise physiology and injury and how an understanding of this relationship influences injury rehabilitation techniques commonly applied to the equine athlete.

University Centre Reaseheath is fortunate in having an extensive range of high-quality practical facilities to underpin this programme proposal. This includes a range of horses, stabling and competition sized arenas, gait analysis equipment and a range of therapeutic facilities for use in the treatment and rehabilitation of equine injuries. This programme represents a unique combination of training and rehabilitation and capitalises on the increasing interest in holistic equine training and management practises.

Students are actively encouraged to participate in additional activities including volunteering and working with the College’s extensive range of industry partners, including the Horse of the Year Show, Bolesworth and Grandstand Media.

The programme combines the study of equine behaviour and training with rehabilitation. Growing interest in understanding natural behaviour and how this can be used to inform positive training methodologies provides the basis for the programme. The extension of this to rehabilitation techniques offers an exciting addition to the growing catalogue of complementary therapies allied to horses.

This programme is delivered at University Centre Reaseheath. The centre has over 45 horses and ponies, 5 instructors, apprentices and over 120 local children and adults using the recreational facility on a weekly bases. Physical resources include: 3 outdoor riding arenas, show jumping field, 2 mobile classrooms.

Upon successful completion of the Foundation Degree, students who wish gain a full honours degree may progress onto the BSc (Hons) Equine Behaviour and Welfare final year top-up.

University Centre Reaseheath is an academic partner of the University of Chester. Foundation degrees, Honours degrees, and Cert Ed are awarded by the University of Chester.

UCAS Entry Points

A minimum of 64 UCAS points

Start Date

September 2021

September 2022

Course Length

Full-time: 2 years

What will I study?

In the first year of study for the FdSc Equine Training and Rehabilitation you will study core modules which are compulsory to take. In the second year you will study a combination of compulsory and optional modules.

Modules (6 per level, all at 20 credits, optional modules in italics) include:

Level 4

RC4036 Equids in Global Industry
RC4038 Equine Groundwork
RC4039 Equine Training Theories
RC4111 Scientific Data Collection & Analysis
RC4503 Introduction to Behaviour in Animals
RC4520 Comparative Functional Anatomy & Physiology

Level 5

Teaching and Learning

Overall workload

Your overall workload consists of class contact hours, independent learning and assessment activity, plus field trips. Your actual contact hours may depend on which optional modules you select, but the following information gives an indication of how much time you will need to allocate to different activities at each year of the course:

Year 1:

32% of your time is spent in timetabled teaching and learning activity

Teaching, Learning and Assessment: 380 hours

Placement: 130 hours

Independent Study: 690 hours

Year 2:

24% of your time is spent in timetabled teaching and learning activity

Teaching, Learning and Assessment: 288 hours

Placement: 50 hours

Independent Study: 862 hours

Assessment and Feedback

Assessment Methods

Assessments are designed to encourage both academic skills and skills valued in the workplace. They include a combination of coursework and examinations. Coursework may take many forms including: essays, reports, data processing, presentations, academic posters, seminar discussions, interviews, critical reviews, portfolios of evidence and practical competency assessments. The examinations vary, depending on the nature of the module, but may take the form of multiple-choice papers, essays, practical assessments, data handling questions, short answer quizzes, and in class examinations. Assessment weighting varies depending on course and year of study. For more information please see our Course Information on our website.

Feedback

Opportunities for feedback on your progress will be available throughout your course. This will be provided in many formats, including written and verbal. Feedback on graded work is supplied via Turnitin or directly from the module tutor. The majority of assessment submissions are made via Turnitin and feedback for coursework is provided within 20 working days after the submission date. If for unforeseen reasons this is not possible, the reasons will be communicated to the students within 2 weeks and the feedback prioritised within the department.

Written feedback will be supported verbally should the student require clarification. Formative assessment feedback will be provided at the time of completion where possible, with more detailed summative feedback for reports.

Timetable Information

Course Information

Entry requirements

A minimum of 64 tariff points from A and AS levels to include Biology
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016) a minimum of grade MPP in an Animal or Science related subject.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016) – a minimum of grade MM in an Animal or Science related subject
City & Guilds Level 3 Technical Advanced Extended Diploma (1080 – first awarded in 2019) – a minimum of grade MPP in an Animal or Science related subject.
City & Guilds Level 3 Advanced Technical Extended Diploma (720 – first awarded in 2019) – a minimum of grade MM in an Animal or Science related subject.
Mature students (aged 21+) will be considered on an individual basis on their prior knowledge and experience. This may be assessed by interview, completion of coursework/essay or other methods. There may be a requirement for a formal qualification to be completed first e.g. Access to HE course.

Further study

Students may progress onto the BSc (Hons) Equine Behaviour and Welfare Top-Up

Career Options

Rehabilitation and therapy centre management
Performance and competition horse management
Equine behavioural therapy
Equine welfare

Please note: acceptance onto riding units is subject to assessment and weight limit of 13 stone.

Useful Information

How much will this course cost?

Tuition Fees

As a Higher Education student, you will have two main costs to meet; your tuition fees and living costs.

Our full-time tuition fees for UK and EU students, entering University, can be found on the student finance page. These fees are charged for each academic year of a course and are set by the college annually.

If you are an international student or for the latest information on tuition fees visit the student finance page on our website.

Additional Costs

For practical sessions at the equestrian centre, learners are expected to purchase their own uniform (yard wear – as specified by the Equestrian Centre in joining instructions).

As identified previously, students are required to undertake a work placement in a location of their own choosing. The responsibility of finding a suitable placement lies with the student who is also responsible for any related financial requirements.

Students also have the option to undertake a secondary qualification. The training fees for the first qualification are paid for by the college and payment of the examination fee is the responsibility of the student. If students wish to undertake more than one secondary qualification, they may do so but will need to pay the training fees in addition to the examination fee.

Equipment Costs

Student can expect costs to be in the region of £300, to include PPE of an approved riding hat, riding boots, gloves, and a good waterproof coat (without a hood) as well as navy blue jodhpurs and navy-blue polo shirt.

Prices of equipment are subject to change dependent on retailer.

Additional financial support

Weight limit for riding

Interviews will be used to help make decisions on borderline applications and those where the Programme Leader needs to gain further information.

To safeguard the wellbeing of our horses, comply with health and safety requirements, ensure high levels of animal welfare and ensure a high-quality student experience we have to make an assessment of who can ride our horses safely, and this is based on a number of factors. These factors can impact on our decisions regarding which students are able to ride as part of their course.

Current research from the Saddle Research Trust and Animal Health Trust with leading equine professionals, scientists and researchers has advised that horses should only be carrying 10- 20% of their own optimum bodyweight when being ridden, this includes the clothing and tack used. If carrying over 20%, there is a substantial effect on the horse’s gait, behaviour, soundness and welfare in response to rider weight.

The pool of horses that we have access to at the College does fluctuate each year, but we try to ensure that their general size, age and health are reasonably constant within an agreed tolerance, to appeal to and accommodate as many students as possible. However, this does mean that for some students who are at either end of the optimum height and weight for our horses, we may not be able to allow them to ride safely as part of their course. General guidelines for height/ weight ratios can be found below, however, this is used as a guide and are only one part of a holistic assessment of the individual for riding. An experienced and qualified member of staff will assign horses to students for riding and rider height and weight will be considered to ensure both horse welfare and the health and safety of the individual.

Rider weight guidelines:

Height	Weight (st)	Weight (kg)
Up to 4’10”	9	57
4’11” – 5’2”	10	64
5’3” – 5’6”	11	70
5’7” – 5’9”	12	76
5’10” – 6’1”	13	82.5
6’2” – 6’4”	14	89
6’5” upwards	15	95.2

Whilst rider height, weight and fitness are factors in our riding assessment, it is important that students do not view this as any prompt to eat or diet unhealthily.

The main factors we have to consider when assessing suitability of riders in the Equestrian Centre are:

Our rider assessment involves an initial questionnaire to be completed by the student, which will evaluate rider experience. Following successful acceptance of the initial paper assessment, students will need to attend a holistic Ride Standard Setting Session to assess student riding ability on the mechanical horse. If riding skills are suitable, students will then progress to an assessment on a live horse, with extensive feedback provided by one of our BHS coaches.

Accommodation

All Higher Education students are given the opportunity to apply for residential accommodation. First year students are guaranteed accommodation and this offer is made to all applicants who live more than a reasonable daily travelling distance from Reaseheath and who apply before 31st July of the year they intend to start their course. For full details on our halls of residence visit the accommodation pages.

Student support

How do I apply?

Before you apply you can come and visit us at one of our HE Open Events to see what we have to offer. Once we have received your application we will invite you to attend an Offer Holder Day.

Applications for full-time Degrees and Foundation Degrees are made through UCAS. Applications for all other full-time courses such as Access to HE and Level 4 Diplomas should be made directly to Reaseheath via the online application form. You can find out more here.

Student contract

For students to get the best out of their time at University Centre Reaseheath, we must both recognise that we owe obligations to each other. These obligations are set out in our Higher Education Student Contract. Before you accept an offer of a place at University Centre Reaseheath, it is important that you read these contract conditions. If you are going to be living in Halls of Residence, you will also need to read the Student Accommodation Licence Conditions. Both of these contracts can be found here.

Click here to view the University Centre Reaseheath Student Protection Plan.

Do you know we offer a range of Livery Packages from Full Working to DIY Livery?

Find out more

Foundation Degree in Equine Training and Rehabilitation

UCAS Entry Points

Start Date

Course Length

What will I study?

Entry requirements

Further study

Career Options

Useful Information

Do you know we offer a range of Livery Packages from Full Working to DIY Livery?

BSc (Hons) in Equine Behaviour and Welfare (Top-Up)

BSc (Hons) in Equestrian Sports Performance

BSc (Hons) Equine Bioveterinary Science

HND Animal Management (Equine Management)

Visit Us

How to Apply

Contact Us

View our Prospectus

Foundation Degree in Equine Training and Rehabilitation

What will I study?

Entry requirements

Further study

Career Options

Useful Information

Do you know we offer a range of Livery Packages from Full Working to DIY Livery?

You might also be interested in these courses...

BSc (Hons) in Equine Behaviour and Welfare (Top-Up)

BSc (Hons) in Equestrian Sports Performance

BSc (Hons) Equine Bioveterinary Science

HND Animal Management (Equine Management)